Thursday, 21 November 2013

Adrift

Either there is a very large ship on the far horizon, or the Isle of Wight has come loose and is drifting down the Channel. I suppose I will find out on the lunchtime news. For the first time in a year of being housebound, I am feeling a little stir-crazy. Does this mean I am starting to get better?

The Captain would have taken me to Arundel for lunch to alleviate my symptoms, but its the meeting at the Hall tonight, and I know I can only manage one outing a day.

We got the distressing news last night that one of my brothers-in-law has been rushed to hospital with a suspected stroke. Hopefully he will be out of hospital and back home today.

How did we all get so old? Only we we aren't that old. Is seventy or eighty years enough time in this lovely world, this awe-inspiring universe? Our lives are tragically short at the moment. And every generation has gone through this terrible decline.

What I want for all of us is expressed perfectly in Psalm 37 (and please note it says "the righteous", not "the self-righteous". The thought of living for ever on an earth full of the self-righteous... shudder...):

"The righteous themselves will possess the earth, And they will reside forever upon it."

"And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; And you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be. But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. "

Our exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. Its not only that there will be no more war - a miracle in itself- there won't even be an unkind word or unkind thought then.

After all, where do hatreds and wars come from?

I am hoping a picture of a small fishing boat, surrounded by birds, will arrive at the head of this blog in time. It appeared close to shore sometime after the Isle of Wight (or whatever it was) had sailed out of view. I am just emailing Captain B to put it on his To-do list, after he has finished being so grimly busy with some paperwork.